Operations

"We’ve seen levels of violence going down, So, we’re on the right track," Panetta said.

A bipartisan group of senators praised the contribution of American women who volunteered with American Red Cross.

Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boall had no interaction with special operations command, said Adm. William McRaven.

New York — White House officials will have a new way to travel when the V-22 Osprey officially becomes part of the presidential helicopter fleet in 2013.

American drones launched an airstrike against a suspected terror targets along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border Wednesday, further inflaming tensions between Washington and Islamabad over the controversial counterterrorism tactic. 

Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) are pushing legislation that would roll back a recent White House decision to expand drone strikes against terrorist targets around the world. 

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday attacked a Republican proposal reinforcing the right of military chaplains to steer clear of gay marriage ceremonies.

Robert Gates, who was defense secretary when President Obama ordered the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, said the decision to deploy Navy SEALs to kill bin Laden was a risky decision and a “courageous” call.

Gates said in an interview with host Charlie Rose on “CBS This Morning” Wednesday that he preferred using a missile attack to take out bin Laden's compound, which he described as “the least risky way to take him out.”

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is traveling to the Pentagon this week to meet with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday, where they are expected to hammer out an agreement on increased U.S. funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile system.

Israeli media reported Barak was on his way to Washington on Tuesday, and said the Obama administration was planning to announce a $680 million package for new Iron Dome missile batteries, citing Israeli security sources.

A team of United Nations observers assigned to monitor the fractured peace process in Syria came under attack on Tuesday when their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb, according to recent news reports.